Happy Friday. If you live on the East Coast, well, don't look at this.

Or this. (The Miller Family is eating al fresco this evening!)

Follow me on Twitter and you might get some pictures.

To the notes!

Tom from Lancaster, California, writes: Rival fans and trolls everywhere were convinced that Jim Mora, Todd Graham, and Rich Rodriguez would bolt to greener pastures if they attained any success at their respective schools. All three have a perception to outsiders of being a bit of "mercenaries." Barring anything off-the-field, each is going to complete their fourth season in 2015. Are they at the point of being able to be forgiven by fans if they can land an A+ job?

Ted Miller: Those three certainly have contributed significantly to the Pac-12's South Division becoming the toughest division in college football, apologies to the SEC West, which was exposed as overrated during the bowl season.

Oh, it's just a small troll. Relax.

If all three stay put, those programs will consistently remain in the top 25 and gain even more national traction -- perhaps as College Football Playoff contenders. I also get a kick out of the divergent personalities of all three, though they each share an obsessive competitiveness that might make them seem nutty to the average Joe. Next time I'm among this troika, I'm going to toss a penny into the air and go, "Oh, no, the magic recruiting penny is loose!" and then watch them lose all decorum and go wide-eyed loony as they dive and brawl to recover the slightest potential advantage against the others.

The South should continue to be great fun.

I do, however, pause at the term "mercenary." That word gets thrown around a lot about coaches, typically when one party feels wounded because a coach bolted for a better-status and better-paying job. "What about loyalty!" the abandoned whine, thinking only about themselves.

If Mora, Rodriguez or Graham get offered a job they want more than their present jobs -- whether due to money, opportunity, prestige or location -- they should take it. That, my friends, is America.

When the Florida job opened this past season I was worried, most specifically, about Rodriguez. I actually pulled out the big rhetorical guns when I told Rodriguez that if he left for Gainesville he likely wouldn't get to see me that much anymore. That clearly had an impact. And, fortunately, the folks at Florida weren't smart enough to pursue him.

Funny thing is that there's more evidence that they aren't particularly mercenary -- at least not more than any sane person.

Rodriguez turned down Alabama and Arkansas -- among others -- while at West Virginia. His eventual departure to Michigan was as much about his battles with West Virginia administrators than any mercenary tendencies. He bolted for many reasons, including the allure of coaching Michigan, but my impression is money didn't top the list -- especially when you consider the buyout at West Virginia that he left behind.

While Graham has a reputation as a climber, the mostly maudlin and often disingenuous reactions to his leaving Pittsburgh for Arizona State almost always left out that he didn't get a notable raise. He got a better job with a better program in a better conference in a better area to live.

The "mercenary" term actually was hauled out to bite Graham because he'd used it a few weeks before he uprooted to describe some of his assistants who left Pittsburgh to join Rodriguez at Arizona. Graham has insisted his words were taken out of context.

As for Mora, he rebuffed Texas. While there are lots of Texas writers who say this didn't happen, their sources on this are a bunch of Texas boosters and administrators who don't want folks to write about Mora rebuffing Texas. What I've gathered is that if Mora really wanted to leave UCLA for Texas, he could have.

Does this mean this threesome is set for life or even a decade hence in their present jobs? Heck no. In fact, I'd be surprised if all three last more than three or four more seasons. Stability in coaching is extremely rare -- just 14 FBS coaches have been in their current job for 10 or more years.

Does this mean they should be forgiven if they do decide to pack their bags for another job?

Heck no.

Jon from Tumalo, Oregon, writes: Ted, will you please explain the difference between a player signing a National Letter of Intent (NLI) and a player receiving a Grant In Aid (GIA) without signing an NLI?

Ted Miller: A national letter of intent, at present, a binding contract between player and team for one year. Signing Grant In Aid scholarship papers is a promise from the school to the player but is non-binding for the player. In fact, he could sign scholarship papers with several schools and then make his ultimate decision by showing up to preseason camp at one school or another.

If I were advising an elite recruit, I'd tell him not to sign a NLI, just on principle. It's not required. The only downside of not signing a NLI is you'd still be recruitable, which could be potentially annoying for the athlete.

We previously linked this Mitch Sherman article. Andy Staples picked up the topic here.

The only way a player can get out of a NLI is if the NCAA or the school grants a release, which is a bureaucratic nightmare. Meanwhile, the school can revoke the scholarship because of academic or behavioral issues.

All this said, the game is changing. Power 5 conferences are shortly going to make scholarships cover full cost of attendance, and many schools and conferences are now guaranteeing multi-year scholarships, instead of the one-year renewables that worked against the players' interests.

Simply put, if a player signs scholarship papers and shows up to preseason camp, that qualifies him for a guaranteed scholarship.

Kevin from San Jose writes: Ted, You conveniently left out some context in your mailbag answer about the EWU / Vernon Adams issue. EWU PLAYS OREGON NEXT SEASON! I certainly would't let Adams train at the school facilities with former teammates ... prepping for the game. Heck, he already knows the playbook. But, Baldwin is behaving poorly?

Ted Miller: If I can recall, my focus was exclusively on the transfer itself and the quotes suggesting sour grapes from Eastern Washington coach Beau Baldwin and Montana State coach Rob Ash about FCS to FBS transfers.

Not only does it make perfect sense for Baldwin to give Vernon Adams Jr. a full-on divorce from the Eagles after Adams announced he was headed to Oregon, it would have be insane if he didn't for the very reason you mention.

To be clear: You do not let a player from your season-opening opponent hang out with your team and use your facilities.

So, no, I don't believe that represented poor behavior.

Jared Goff from Buzzerkely writes: What will it take for me to be 1) a Heisman candidate? 2) The Heisman winner?

Ted Miller: If Jared Goff puts up numbers that match what he did last year and California starts 3-0 after a win at Texas, Goff will start to make Heisman Watch lists.

The Golden Bears then start the Pac-12 schedule at Washington and against Washington State. Those games are far from gimmes -- no conference game is -- but the Bears have the potential for a 5-0 start and the national ranking that comes with that.

If Cal is 5-0 and Goff has big passing numbers, he would be an official Heisman candidate.

As for winning it? Well, he'd have to: 1. Be spectacular and 2. Cal would at least need to be ranked in the top 15 or so, which means winning nine or 10 regular-season games.

I see Goff as a future NFL QB, and that future might begin with the 2016 NFL draft. While some might view this question as presumptuous -- or just plain nutty -- Goff has the talent to become an elite QB. If Cal improves significantly on defense in 2015, the Bears could be a dark-horse contender in the North Division.

So what I'm saying is there is a chance.